The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has agreed to allocate part of the funds allocated by Congress to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as a judge reviews a case over the cancellation of its funding, RFE/RL reported on March 24.
The congressionally authorized grant funding for RFE/RL was terminated earlier this month after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered USAGM, a government agency overseeing RFE/RL, Radio Free Asia, and Voice of America, to be dismantled.
RFE/RL sued USAGM on March 18 over the termination of grant funding, arguing that the step violates federal laws and the U.S. Constitution.
The decision to release part of the funds by March 26 was announced hours before a hearing in a U.S. federal court in Washington, D.C. The funding suspension threatened the media organization’s continued operation.
RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus expressed hope the release of two weeks’ funding would sustain the broadcaster until the court rules on the case.
He said denying RFE/RL funds was unlawful, as "the (U.S.) Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power of the purse."
At a court hearing on March 24, USAGM’s lawyer Abigail Stout argued the agency can terminate its grant agreement with RFE/RL if the broadcaster fails to meet its terms. RFE/RL is seeking full 2025 funding and a court injunction to secure it.
In response, a lawyer representing RFE/RL said "it would make no sense" to allow agencies to withdraw funding already approved by Congress.
RFE/RL was founded early in the Cold War to counter Soviet propaganda in Eastern Bloc countries. It has since continued providing coverage of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and countries in Central Asia, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and elsewhere.
Some European leaders announced they may proceed to help RFE/RL with funding. Martin Dvorak, the Czech European affairs minister, said on March 18 that the Czech initiative to fund RFE/RL has already received backing from 10 countries.
U.S. courts have previously sought to stall some of the executive's most radical cuts, which were presented as an effort to slash waste, including the gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Trump's allies have publicly questioned the court's jurisdiction over the executive branch's decisions, raising concerns about a looming constitutional crisis.
Chris York
(Updated: )
